Saviors in Fur and Blades
by Elvenhair the Scribe
Summary: NarutoRedwall crossover. After many years of peace, Redwall, Salamandaston, and Mossflower Wood is threatened by the FireWolf and his allies. As the threat comes, seven ninja are wisked away from their world and thrown into a fullcale war. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1: The First Move

_I do not own Redwall or any of the characters and places inside, except for my original Characters and places (you should be smart enough to know which ones are fake are not). I also do not own any of the Naruto characters and both the Redwall and Naurto names have been used without permission for the sole use of entertaining the readers that choose to read my story. So enjoy!_

_The peaceful order of mice in Mossflower has ever been a sanctuary to all, but in times of trouble, the Spirit of Martin the Warrior will send a soul to aid the brothers and sisters of Redwall Abbey from the forces of evil, no matter who they where before. But the tale I am to tell you is of seven souls summoned from another plain, friends and foes, brought to the Abbey to be light in it's darkening hour. A tale of adventure, love, and revenge, I shall share with you. Pull up a stool and warm yourself from the chills of the winter cold. Lend me your ear, for I am the Teller of Tales, spinner of the stories of all._

**CHAPTER 1: The First Move on the Chess Board **

Past the western shores where the lone mountain of fire watches the seas, an enormous island looms tall over the waters, the black rock walls shielding the lush land behind them. The only thing reaching above those walls is a massive lighthouse, part of an even bigger castle, the ground home to many barracks, both soldier and slave. Dotted over the entire isolated fortress were the symbols and banners of the Fire-wolf, a large wolf's head made of flames and framed in a white moon a constant reminder to all on the isle of who indeed ruled the fortress.

The hidden isle even hid a harbor, where an armada and a half of all kinds of ships waited and stocked on supplies. The slaves, once many different towns, clans, families and people, now loaded on the many things needed, their guards watching their every move, knowing quite well that many of their former comrades were now the ones the ones they urged to work faster. From the from the black walls to the deepest chamber in the black castle, the place was overloaded with all sorts of beings, furred, scaled, and feathered.

Inside the private study of the Fire-wolf, the three leaders, the Fire-wolf Groken, a huge lizard warrior named Xengith, and a large silver raven, Ashnith, looked down on a huge map depicting the entire mainland, from eastern to western shores, northern mountains and southern lands, but two locations were marked as essential on it. The wolf, a extremely large black canine with singed hair on his coat, pointed to the first of the spots, a building in the middle of a forest as he looked up to a shady portion of the room.

"So you're saying that if we should attack Redwall first and capture it, the hares of Salamandastron will come and try to take the building from me along with any survivors and doing so will weaken them so the next wave of my forces will wipe them away? Sounds pretty simple and somewhat flawed if we don't know how many can fight in either place. You do know that Redwall has more allies then just Salamandastron, don't you, Draken? And the same with the mountain fortress."

A ferret in a black coat with red clouds on it stepped forward, smirking a little as he pointed at the map. His head was completely black while the rest of his fur as a pale brown, but the most disturbing feature was the eyes of the creature. They were red with three comas inside them, holding a light in them close to those of a mad creature.

"If I'll go ahead with my forces, Groken, I'll get the information you'll need before the invasion. For both places and even any info about these 'allies' you're so worried about. How does that sound for all of you?" His calm smile seemed to challenge the two others more than reassure the wolf chief.

Xengith sneered but nodded its head, followed by Ashnith, then Groken motioned to the door. "Take the _Sea Feather_ with Captain Deaumont and his crew and land farther north of the Fire Mountain then scout with your squad as quickly and silently as you can. I don't want any early alarms of our invasion so they have time to prepare themselves. Go." Draken bowed and walked out the doors, telling a guard to notify his squad.

The raven cawed angrily after the doors closed. "I don't care for this Draken. Ferret or not, he still is too slippery for my tastes. Why did you recruit him? Why not any other one?"

The wolf growled at the bird, his tone dangerously low. "Take care of your words around him. He is someone you'd would never want to be against you. I saw him take down a full-grown badger in Bloodwrath without using a blade. He is almost like some sort of wizard, because the badger looked into his eyes and the next moment later, the badger collapsed on the ground, drooling and muttering gibberish like an idiot. Then that ferret summoned fire from his mouth and cooked the badger, armor and all. Can you boast something like that, you bag of feathers?" Ashnith didn't answer, but clacked his iron beak in irritation. "Now we wait and prepare for the full invasion. Xengith, take over the overseeing the troops today. I've got to walk around a bit."

The raven flew to his nest, but the lizard stayed. "Ssss, the dream happened again lassst night, sire?" The wolf waved him off as he walked down the stairs, all the guards he passed coming to a swift attention. Within the hour, the _Sea Feather_ was loaded up and ready for sailing and the fast ship left the harbor and neared the gates to the island. The black walls pulled back and the ship rode the winds out into the sea, setting its point to the distant shores.


	2. Chapter 2: The Heros Appear

**CHAPTER 2: The Heroes Arrive**

Far away from the hidden isle, in the middle of the Mossflower woods, Naruto woke up to the sounds of strange songbirds and sat up, yawning wide with his long muzzle. Brushing off his large orange jacket and pants, he stood up on his paws and went over to the small river nearby and started to wash his face when he really woke up and saw his appearance in the water. "What the...? Whiskers? I'm furry?! I'm a fox, believe it!" He whips his head around and not only is he a fox, he's a small orange Kyubi, a nine-tailed fox! He rubbed his fur up and down for a moment, exploring this new body and making sure there were no big bodily changes. He patted himself down, sighing as he found everything still in place. "This is really weird. At least I got my clothes still and all my equipment, but this is really strange. Hey, where's Sakura?" He started walking through the bushes, keeping a lookout for any trouble.

The said girl was waking up with something ticking her nose, but when she woke up, it was her whiskers! Believing that some creature was lying next to her, she quickly and quietly got up and made for the water but the Nine-tailed Fox stepped out from the bushes in front of her! She hopped back into the bushes, reaching for a throwing star at her weapons pack, when she noticed what clothes it was wearing. "Naruto? Is that you?"

Naruto turned about, looking for the voice. "Sakura? Where are you?" The genin finally found her, after she stood up. "Hey Sakura! Um, why are you a rabbit?"

The former human girl looked down and saw that, even though she was still dressed in her clothes, a short pink dress, slit at the waist, and black shorts, she was indeed a cream colored hare. Her head was different for she had a general pink colored fur under her blue headband and around her head, but she guessed it was from her original hair being pink. She gasped and started to check herself out too, making sure it was her and she wasn't in a dream. "I'm..I'm a rabbit!? What in the world happened to us? Where are we?"

Naruto's smiling face faded slightly as the realization hit him. "Err, I don't know. I don't exactly remember anything that lead us here except some big tough looking mouse in armor leading me down a hole." By Sakura's face, the same happened to her. "Maybe we could find a local and find out that way. Maybe a nearby city where we could get some chow and info. Let's go." He started to walk toward the trees, but Sakura grabbed his arm.

"Naruto, do you think in these bodies, we can still use our chakra? We might have some trouble fighting if we can't use our justu." Naruto nodded and made a few signs with his paws. "Shadow Clone Justu!" In a puff of smoke, there was now three nine tailed foxes in front of Sakura that quickly shifted back to one. "Looks like we can! That's great, believe it!" Smiling back at her friend, the hare followed her friend into the trees, leaping into the branches and traveling across the woodland trees like two squirrels.

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In another part of the woods, Rock Lee awoke and looked up to see large red walls in-between the trees in the distance. Wiping off the dust on his green clothes, he stood up and stared through the trees, wondering where and how he got there. He was a tall, wiry hare with showing muscles and weights on his long legs, his belt having a Leaf Village leaf on it too. His face had a stern look, added by the large bushy eyebrows over his large eyes. His arms and leg under his leg weights were wrapped up as if they were injured. The thought of his friends brought him back to reality as he noticed one body near him. His companion, a tom cat wearing a large white coat, was quite still but the even breathing of his sleep reassured the hare, so he sat went to a tree and started striking it with his paws, practicing his unarmed combat and to think clearer. He kept it up until a large pebble dropped on his head, knocking him down to the ground and his eyes uncrossed and looked up at the person above him. A red squirrel in a simple smock held another in a sling as he twirled it threateningly while looking down at the rising hare, his bushytail twitching with a life of it's own. "What do you think you're doing, knocking against someone's home and waking his family up with that pounding? Have you no decency?"

The odd animal smiled and bowed. "My apologies. I had no idea it was you're home, sir. I shall be careful what tree I hit next time, but I was waiting for my friend to awaken."

"Hmph. Fine, but be quiet and be on your way. I don't want to waste anymore stones on your thick heads. Oh and he's waking up too." Disappearing into the trees, the squirrel left the smiling hare to his awakening companion. The tall feline stood up and cracked his neck, looking to the hare with creamy white eyes and a bewildered look. "Is that you, Lee?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure why I'm a hare and you're a cat, but it seems things have changed a little since we started off this morning, Neji."

The brown cat smirked at the remark and adjusted the coat covering his torso to his black tail, that twitched slightly. "Well, we'd better find out where the hell we're at and why we're here." He took a step toward Lee, but stopped as something passed across his mind. "Where's Hinata, Gaara, and the Refugee? Shouldn't they have gone with us?"

"Sssss, I'm here." Both of them turned around and jumped as the bushes rustled and parted for a giant white adder who slithered up to the pair and fixed them with it's yellow eyes. "Ssss, it s-s-s-seems that we've been altered s-s-significantly. The others-s-s weren't near me when I awoke." The other two nodded then Neji motioned toward the large red building ahead. "That looks like a good place to go to and ask for directions. Let's go. Come on, Renagade."

"It's Rai'guy, Hyuuga. Get it right."

The two walkers started toward the building but halted when they saw their companion not following. The snake had closed his eyes and was swaying his head back and forth, eyes closed as his swaying picked up speed. They were about to call to him when they heard sickening crunches and squishing sounds coming from inside the creature then the entire body relaxed, flopping against the grass. For a moment nothing happened, then a sword shot out the middle of the snakes body, followed by another creating a large hole in the flesh of the creature, but no blood came forth from the wound.

The only thing that came out was a large canine, a pale white jackal with purple stripes along his body. The jackal wore a long white shirt and red jacket tucked into a sash belt with long silken pants that ballooned over his leather boots. From the belt hung two long katanas, in ornate scabbards depicting dragons surrounded with flames, six bottles holding a dark liquid inside, and several pouches, while a large silver blade hung on his back. The long ears were standing up in the midst of long black fur that trailed down in braids, covering part of his face and one of the yellow eyes, with one thin red line down the pupil in each. Unlike the other two's head-protectors, his depicted a musical note with a cut in the middle. "What? Like I was going to stay a snake the whole time I'm here?" Stepping out of the corpse, Rai'guy kicked it into the bushes and joined his companions as they walked through the shrubbery.


	3. Chapter 3: Redwall's New Guests

**Chapter 3:** **Redwall's New Guests**

"Now that is a big place." Naruto commented as they looked at the large walls and building of Redwall from the limb of a birch tree. From inside, the sounds of kids playing and elders pleasantly talking wafted up to the pair as they sat on the thick oak limbs. "So, what should we do? Just walk in?"

Sakura sighed at the fox's stupidity, but she couldn't help but agree. This place seemed too peaceful to be any threat, but sometimes things are not always as they seem. Still, both of them could hear their stomachs growling as the smells of a cooking supper and they still needed a clue about where the hell they were. "It looks like it. I think it's better if we show our presence rather than sneak in like thieves. First impressions last longer. Let's go." The two dropped straight down off the tree, Sakura landing on her feet, or paws now she reminded herself, while Naruto, in his usual fashion, landed in a patch of leaves head first and climbed out dazed. "Idiot." Naruto quickly recovered and brushed off the leaves on his orange jacket and walked to a small door on the side of the wall with Sakura following. The two looked to each other for an idea, but in the end Naruto just knocked on the faded wood.

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"Dangle!!! Get back here right now!" The small door mouse stuck his tongue at Sister Delany, the old hare nursemaid, and continued along the pond in his makeshift raft, a small table overturned that held him, a small terrified mole and a little hare maid who paddled along with him. "Don't make me get Skipper! I mean it, you ruffians!" The Dibbuns were now making faces, except for the young mole who clung to a leg of the table, his wrinkly black face paler in color.

"Hurr, Oi don't'n loik dah water, Dangle! Can 'ee let oi off!?"

Dangle stood proudly in the middle of his 'ship' and prodded the scared mole with a grimy paw. "Pirate's aren't scared of nuvin'! Up on yer feets, scab-vys and get dat swail up!"

The mole trembled as they started to wrap a large slightly damp tablecloth around the two 'front masts' and the wind caught it and sent them slowly sailing back to the shore. "Ah! I got those ruffians now!!!" Sister Delany pulled her flowered skirt up and ran along the edge before a large paw stopped her. The big tattooed otter behind her smiled down and said in his infamous sailor accent, "Steady there lass. I'll get ta' Dibbuns for ya."

"Go right ahead, Skipper. I'm practically tuckered out from those blinkin' savages and I'll take any help I can bloody get." Showing off his pearly white teeth, the otter chieftain set his pole staff down and dived in without a single splash. The Dibbuns waved to the approaching otter and the little hairmaid knelt down as the otter's head surfaced in front of her. "Hi'ya Skip! Can ya pull us around the pond, please?"

Skipper shook his head but relented after all three started to beg and threaten to whack him with their paddles. Grabbing the sail, he made a makeshift rope that was tied to the table and soon the younglings were screaming and hollering as the powerful otter rounded the pond, spooking the numerous fish inhabiting the water and giving Delany another excuse to yell at the top of her lungs. But just like the otter promised, the three were carried ashore after two laps and were given into the arms of the hare nurse who stuck all three under her long arms and stormed toward the Abbey doors, giving them all the paragraphs, subscriptions, translations, and every single punctuation mark of the Riot Act.

The badger Memnon walked along the ramparts, his good friend Father Porthos walking beside him, as they made their usual rounds of the Abbey. The elder mouse hummed a small ditty as the badger looked over the tree tops, his large paw running along the warm rock with the wind ruffling the fur on his wise face. Both clad in the green robes of the Order, they were quite the unique pair, especially with the orange stripes on the young badger and gold fur with silver hairs on the wise face of the Abbey's Father. Memnon sighed as he looked down onto the lawn."A beautiful afternoon, my old friend. Except for the slight trouble by the Dibbuns, eh?"

Porthos smiled up to his friend. "Ever the present threat is the young ones, but who can blame their adventurous and creative minds to cause such mischief. You should have been around when my old friends and I were little terrors of our own."

Memnon's eye lit up as images ran though his head and memories of his past endeavors. "I can only imagine what things you could do, old one. I doubt they were as bad as mine were."

"Oh really? Should I start listing them off to you and compare?"

"Try me."

"After supper. For now, let's enjoy this afternoon." The two smiled, hoping such days would never end. The two passed by the western gate when a knock on the old door turned both their heads. The badger stepped up to the door and removed the lock, but didn't open. "Who is it?"

A calm female voice answered through the door. "Um, Hello there. Me and my friend are lost and need a place to stay and any information on where we are."

Memnon nodded and opened the door. "Welcome, travelers, to Redwall..." The badger stopped in mid-sentence as he saw the two, a young female hare and an orange fox with way too many tails. Staring at the fox queerly, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the door as something bugged him in the back of his mind, making deep marks in the wood. The fox, seeing this, started to inch his hand toward a pack at the back of his belt, but the girl gave him a severe look and turned to the larger badger. "Hello there. May we please come in, kind sir?"

The badger didn't answer, but Porthos leaned around his friend and sizing up the two, he smiled. "Welcome children. Memnon, let them through please." The red striped animal snapped back and nodded, opening the door wider and stepping aside to let the two inside. As the fox passed, his eyes and Memnon's met for a moment, then he broke the contact as the hare lady did a polite bow to the Father.

"Thank you. My name is Sakura Haruno and this is my good friend Naruto Uzumaki. We were lost and found your home here through the forest." Sakura was glad the mouse was there to stop any hostilities made by the big striped beast toward Naruto. She didn't want to make any bad impressions, but it looks as if her friend had made not a good impression with the badger.

Porthos returned the bow and motioned for the two to follow him, Memnon following behind the group. "Welcome to Redwall Abbey, Sakura and Naruto. I am Father Porthos, the head of the Abbey, and this is the current badger caretaker Memnon. You are extremely fortunate, it's almost time for the evening meal. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to the Main Hall." They walked passed a large group of moles cleaning and expanding a large roasting pit, who stopped to wave their dirty paws at the group.

Naruto's ears perked up. "Supper? Hey! That's a great idea. Lead on, old one. Ow! Hey! What's that for?"

Memnon lifted his paw again, a mischievous smile on his face. "Show respect to your elders and betters."

Naruto pouted and rubbed the bump between his ears. "You didn't need to hit that hard though! You could have just poked me or something."

Sakura shook her head and pushed her ear out of her face. "Stop whining and come on, you dweeb." She pushed him into the pond as they passed it, but the Fox jumped back on the surface, shaking his fur off. Porthos stared at the nine tailed fox with wonder while Memnon's jaw dropped. "How...what...how can you not fall in the water but walk on top it like solid ground?"

Naruto smiled wide as he hopped back ashore and rubbed the back of his head. "It's easy for me and Sakura to do a lot of stuff, Stripes. Walking on water is pretty easy, if you know how to concentrate chakra like we do." Memnon looked to Sakura in confusion, but she shrugged as if to say 'It'll take a little while to explain.' "Anyway," Naruto pointed to the large center building, "Weren't you going to show us to the food. We're pretty hungry."


	4. Chapter 4: Rats and Raccoons

**Chapter 4**

**Rats and Raccoons on the Shores**

Draken leaned against the railing, watching the waves wash over the black wood planks of the _Sea Feather._ The fast combat vessel skimmed along the sea current, it's sails open to the warm breeze as it carried it's deadly load. Deaumont, a large fat stoat in a red jacket and pants, swaggered up to the ferret leader and scratched the scars across his face. "So, what's the job you need to do, eh?" A stare was all he received so he cringed and walked away. _Idiot._ Peering across to the distant shore, the quiet fighter could barely see Salamandastron. A smile found it's way on his face as the memory of his 'recruitment' came back to him, which was quickly wiped away.

A quiet shuffle of feet behind him brought him back. "What do you want, Tannok?" Two sets of claws dug into the wood rail as a small furry creature stood next to the leader, its Mohawk barely reaching the ferret's chest. The thing was his second, a fur-ball armed to the teeth with almost every single throwing blade in existence. No one messed with Tannok; those who did were quick to die from those black gloved hands, and so he quickly rose in the ranks. Draken saw potential in this Small Furry Typhoon, or SFT for short, and made him a leader, his cool indifference contrasting the hot headed actions of the weird creature. No one really knew what Tannok was; those who did find out mysteriously vanished, except for the ferret, who was the only one to ever beat him.

Tannok scratched the spiky hair on top his head and pointed toward a group of warriors talking and laughing as they took swigs out of a large barrel of ale, a commodity found in most sailing ships. "Tannok see Lavet and his gang. Lavet drinking with sailors again. Tannok no approve of relations with dirty creatures. Ask to break up happy talk."

The Nin sighed and shrugged. "Go ahead. I don't really like them socializing either. Just don't kill."

Tannok smiled and hopped up the mast, looking for the perfect spot to bash the party.

Lavet, a large black rat holding a huge wrapped sword, leaned back against the coil of rope and took another long drink from his mug. "So, I said to the lead guard in front of the ale stores, " 'Eh, if you got so much, why don't you hide some and keep 'em? I mean, most of the guards already sneak in there on break and sneak a pint or two.' Ha, you should have seen the look on his face; he was like a fat toad trapped under a hot rock and when I said that I'd might take it up to old' Red Eyes, he gave me a full barrel just to keep me quiet." The other sailors howled and cheered as they drank the rich brown ale, letting their tongues flap and gab like there wasn't a care in the world. The drunken elite continued, unaware of the presence above him: "So as I just get it on board, the miniature fur-ball Tannok comes on and starts investigating the gear we're taking. Well the rest was scared like a bunch of lily-livered rabbits, but I was just about ready to-"

"What? Tell Tannok he's a small good-for-nothing right in his face?" The small creature dropped down and dangled in front of the unfortunate rat, looking every bit like a spider. The rat was speechless as the SFT dangled with two small knives an inch from his eyes. The others around Lavet scattered, muttering about duties they conveniently forgot, leaving the elite to his superior. Lavet finally got his tongue back as he tried to back up a little. "Sir, p-p-please let me explain. I wasn't going to insult you. I was only going to compliment-Aghhh!" The blade moved too quickly for the rat to stop, slicing his left eye out and took a good chunk out of his ear.

Tannok smiled as he cut his line, dropping on his bare feet and retrieved his blade kicking the doubled up Lavet as he passed and hissed in his ear, "Next time Lavet should be careful who and where Lavet talks, in case Tannok may be near." Draken watched with a half-smile. This was going to be an eventful trip indeed.

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The fortress of Salamandastron watched the ship pass silently, it's inhabitants not paying attention toward the seas. Chief Sergeant James Seabranch, now the leader of the hare forces of the mountain, sat in the large chair reserved for the Badger Lords, watching over the luncheon as the mass of hares went through their large suppers. A feeling of sadness was in the air as two recruits, Tangle and Victory, sat the end of their table and conversed quietly. "Hey, Vick, its like a bally funeral wake in here. I don't think His Lordship would want us like this."

The female scooped up her soup and smirked as she took a bite of some soaked hazelnut bread "Yeah. Even the food tastes bland. Everyone's like an old otter mum who lost her fish. Everyone should like cheer up and get back to work, wot?"

"Mm. Still, we should finish up and get to our pike training or we'll get in a boatload of trouble."

Unknown to the hares, two sets of paws snuck through the mountain tunnels, looking about unseen by the few patrols. The leader, a red raccoon hauling a large gourd on his back, waited impatiently for a small cat in another white coat like Neji's to catch up to him, the female hiding a bit whenever they moved. The raccoon looked back with his blue pupil-less eyes at the timid creature with slight disdain. "You coming or not?"

The girl looked at her companion with apprehension as she tapped the tips of her claws together. "D-do you think we should be sneaking around like this, Gaara? What if we're caught?"

Gaara only fixed her with a stare that set her back a step. _I hate that look. Why does he hate me and treat me like this?_ _Where are you Naruto?_ She noticed he moved again and hurried to catch up again. The pair turned the corner and stepped right in front of a pair of hares, Moonstream and Oxten, who were just heading to the mess hall. "Hey! You two!" They pointed their lances at the pair and closed in. "What are you two doing in our mountain?"

The girl hid behind the raccoon as he stared at the two with his expressionless face. "Get out of my way or you will sorely regret it." The stopper on the end of the gourd started to move on its own, wiggling as it started to free itself.

The hares didn't notice as they kept their spears leveled on Gaara. "Yeah right, bucko. Come on; we're just going to take you in to ask some questions, if you don't give us any trouble." The stopper increased its thrashing, almost freeing itself before the girl saw it. Throwing caution into the wind, she slammed her paw flat against the top, shoving the thing back down. Gaara felt the strike in his head, a piercing pain as he dropped to his knees, clutching his head in agony. The two hares stared at the girl and scratched their heads. "Err, just what happened 'ere?"

Bolstered by her successful averting of any trouble, the female cat said in her quiet timid voice, "He-he uses sand from that gourd to kill people. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. P-please don't be mad that we were looking for food. We woke up in a cellar and found our way up here. Please d-don't hurt us. A-and my name's Hinata." Gaara kept kneeling, but fixed the brown cat with a gaze that could pierce stone and she hid behind her tapping paws.

Moonstream lowered her lance, a sudden feeling of recognition overcame her as thoughts of a similar young lass coming to the mountain with her father came back to her. She motioned to Ox to do the same beside her and moved forward a little. "I won't hurt you, Hinata. I'm Sergeant Moonstream. Come on, we're not barbarians here. Let's get you guys something to eat. Hey, bucko," she looked down at the raccoon, "you need a hand?"

"Get your hand away from me or you'll lose it." The offered paw retreated and he gave her the same piercing look, but she returned it as he stood up.

"'Ey Ox, lead our little parade please. I'd like to talk to these two for a bit." The scarred hare nodded and marched forward followed by Gaara, Moonstream and Hinata trailing behind. The elder hare thought a good connection was possible with Hinata so she drew close to her. "So where do you two come from, Hinata? The northlands?"

Hinata adjusted her head protector around her neck and looked away from the hare. "I-I'm from Konoha and G-Gaara is-"

"Of the Hidden Sand Village. Now be quiet, stupid girl. Don't you see that she wants information about us?" The curt reply was rough, but did its effect. Hinata refused to answer anymore questions, no matter how many times Moon probed her. _Obviously, Hinata's scared of this guy_, the hare thought. _And quite frankly, so am I. This Gaara; he isn't a safe guy to be around. That look he gave me, I got the chills just from that. But what did Hinata mean by he uses sand to kill? If he just doesn't attack but kill, I'd better warn the others here about him._ Entering the mess hall, the visitors were seated at a small guest table and while Ox got them food, Moon went up to Seabranch and came to attention. Seabranch finished drinking and waved her off. "What is it, Sergeant?"

"Sir, I found two creatures wandering our halls, looking for food. A red raccoon with a killer instinct named Gaara and a cat named Hinata. There was a moment where we nearly got in a scuffle, but that was settled and they are sitting at the table there. What would you recommend I should do?" The old hare followed the pointed paw at the odd pair, paying special attention to Gaara. He caught his gaze and stared right back, challenging him with malice coming from those blue eyes. Seabranch turned his gaze to the cat as she gazed across the gathered forces then to him. She quickly adverted her eyes as soon as they had eye contact to her food. "Ask Miss Hinata to come to the forge and hold Gaara in a cell for now. Post guards at his cell but ask the guests if they would like a room after I talk to both. You're dismissed."

"Yessir!" Walking to a table, she picked out two recruits, who talked quietly to themselves, and tapped their shoulders. "You two. Your names?

The two hopped to attention. "Tangle!" "Victory!"

"Alright. I've got an assignment for you two. Finish your meals and follow me." The recruits quickly gobbled their food and grabbed their lances, listening to their instructions as they busied themselves. Marching behind her, the party stopped behind the two. "You two finished your food?" Hinata nodded and stood up. Gaara just stood and stared at the two others behind Moon. "Hinata, the Chief Sergeant would like a word with you in the forge room. Follow me there. Gaara, you're staying with these two while Hinata is talking. Understood?" Another stare. Hinata walked alongside the hare as Gaara followed the two hare recruits down the other way of the hall. As usual, the girl was still nervous and for another time the thought of Naruto crossed her mind as she was brought to the room and waited on the roughly hewn benches for the hare leader.


	5. Chapter 5: The Leaf Nin Meet

**Chapter 5**

**The Leaf Nin Meet**

"Amazing" Brushing the foliage out of the way, the three walked through the trees, taking in as much as they could from the scenery as the sun started setting, giving the greenery a reddish tint. Rai'guy put his paw against a tree and smiled making his companions look back at him again. "This place. It's so peaceful compared to Konoha or Otogakure. I could get used to being here."

"Yes. We get it. Now let's keep moving." The cat's tone portrayed the slight annoyance on his face as Neji leaned against a tree, while Lee looked over to their right. The hare's ears stood up as he concentrated on something.

"What is it, Lee?"

They followed his eyes and saw that an otter teen in the middle of a small band of foxes, while others relaxed in the sun. They were poking the scared kid with their weapon points, laughing as it tried to shy away from the cruel vermin. The babe's cries reached their ears as the two Leaf nin moved forward but the other fighter held up his hand. "Me first. Get to better positions."

Neji scowled but disappeared into the trees, followed by the hare as the canine reached for the large sword on his back. Pulling it out of it's holster, he smiled and grabbed it with both paws and set it in front of him. The heavy sword sunk it's point into the ground as the rouge spat into his pads and took one more look before lifting the sword straight out in front of him. He started his turn, going in a slow circle as he sped up faster and faster, the two others staying respectively out of range of the coming attack. Going faster and faster he grunted and let it go, dragging his foot to stop his momentum and disappears. The spinning sword hummed as it flew, chopping straight through trees as it headed for it's targets.

"Hey, mates. I'm tired of pokin' da meal. Lets cook 'er." The other foxes in the circle agreed and the leader, a big, burly black fox, lifted up his massive two-headed ax and raised it above his head as he steadied it with his foot. The kid looked up as the foxes grinned and she closed her eyes as a flash of silver crosses her sight. After a moment, the pup opened her eyes to see the shocked expressions of the foxes before they fell apart. Over her instead was instead two creatures, the captain fox holding a silver sword that was protruding out of his chest and a tall thin dog pulling out the sword from the dead vermin and kicking it away. The warrior looked down at her and she grabbed his leg and started sobbing hard, feeling some comfort in his presence as he reached down and lifted her off his leg, kneeling down so she can grab his shoulders tightly.

"It's ok, kid. You're safe now." He patted and rubbed her furry back as he picked her up and held the otter to his chest as the other two appeared and wiped off their clothes, obviously have taken care of the rest. Neji checked her back and sides and smirked. "No damage to her as far as I see, apart from some bruises and scratches. What should we do with her?"

"I'll take her with us. Maybe the people in the big building can help us. You wanna come with us, kid?" The otter smiled and buried her head in his chest as they nodded and hopped into the trees. She gasped as she felt the wind as they hopped from branch to branch faster than a squirrel could climb a tree and smiled as they stopped in the branches and looked into the Redwall Abbey.

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Friar Nolsto was a large jolly fat hedgehog, as were most of his fellow cooks as they put the finishing touches upon the meal as Porthos, Naruto and Sakura entered the hot kitchens. The Friar dusted off his hands on his dirty apron and waddled over. "Father Abbot! We're almost done, so what brings you here?"

The elder gestured to the two beside him. "These two are going to be your helpers for tonight. Have them do some help cleaning up and cooking a bit then if you can, give them a good tour of the Abbey."

Sakura tapped the Abbot's shoulder. "Excuse me. Are you saying that we have to earn our food?"

Porthos smiled up to her. "Yes my dear. Everyone helps out in our Abbey, from gathering food to preparing it for the table and to clean out dishes. Chores are shared for a better lifestyle for all."

Naruto pouted. "But that stuff is ladies work." Sakura's glare when she turned around stopped any further complaints.

Nolsto laughed, his belly jiggling like jello. "Thank you, Father Abbot. I'll give 'em a good workout!" He put his arms around their shoulders and pulled them with him. After getting them to wash their hands, Nolsto pointed to an enormous cake sitting on a table, covered with red icing and with several little mint leaves and nut pieces on it. "Think that you two can be mates and take that Redwall cake to the tables in the Great Hall? I'll get you help if ya need it."

Naruto and Sakura grinned. "We got it." "Sakura, you get underneath and we'll take the edges." Sakura grabbed the plate and slid the entire dish to the edge while the fox crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Justu!" Six Naurto's appeared and helped take the plate off the table, Nolsto watching in amazement as they moved it near the doorway. "Where should we put it?" Sakura grunted from underneath the dish.

Nostro stared and stammered, "th-th-The tables in the G-g-great Hall." Naruto nodded and soon, they had it there, Naruto shaking his head as the table the pair set it on sag a little. "That's a big cake. What the fat cook say it was called again?"

Sakura wiped her brow and sighed. "A Redwall Cake. I bet it might taste good too. But anyway, do you think any of the others are in this land, Naruto? Naruto?" She looked at where he was and noticed the empty spot. A twitch came to her eye as she looked around very annoyed. "Naruto, where the hell are you, you Idiot?"

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The fox looked upon a large tapestry draping the walls, depicting battles within the woods and of fighting of vermin, but the one thing that caught the genin's eye is the central figure that the evil creatures fled from: An armored mouse holding a magnificent sword. "The mouse in armor! That's him. But, who is he? Who are you?"

"Talking to Martin? You young ones seem to always look for answers. But then, so do us elders, too." An old hedgehog, the spines on his back turned white with age, came out tapping the floor with a stick. He slowly made his way over to Naruto, who noticed the creamy white eyes and bowed respectfully. "Now, who might you be, young one? Wait, let me see you a little better." The old creature lifted his paw up to Naruto's face and started lightly tapping against his fur. "Ah, a young fox? Now, tell me your name."

"Naruto Uzumaki. Um, are you blind or something, sir?" The hedgehog laughed at the blunt question and patted the boy's shoulder.

"Yes, I have lost my sight many seasons ago, but I never let it bother me, like many other creatures. I am Aramis, the former Abbot of Redwall. Now, what brings you to our home, Naruto?"

Naruto spent a good portion of the afternoon telling his tale to Aramis, who nodded and listened, asked only a few questions for clarification, and as the inhabitants of Redwall gathered for supper, the fox finished. "For one so young, you have had more in your life then most who lived here in many generations. You sound very hungry. Let's go and eat."

The mass of people grouped at the tables, taking their seats in front of the masses of food as the two joined the group. Several of the inhabitants stared at the nine-tailed fox as he sat down next to Sakura, who punched him in the face and knocked him off the bench. "Thanks for helping me take the rest of the dishes out, Naruto!" The fox rubbed the black eye that was rapidly forming on his face and got back, smiling ruefully. The conversations buzzed around the tables until Father Porthos rose and rang a small silver bell. The two quests looked about and bowed their heads along with the masses as the elder mouse began the prayer:

"Fate and Seasons smile on all,

From sunrise to the dark nightfall,

This bounty from earth and tree,

Was made to share, twixt you and me,

To Mother Nature let us say,

Our thanks, for life and health this day."

There was a mighty Amen, then the little bell rang again and the dinner commenced in earnest.

The meal was jovial, dishes shared and passed about, both sweet and tasty. October Ale, Strawberry Cordial, tarts, flans, pies, and puddings, all served then replaced with fresh delights from the kitchens. Turnovers, trifles, breads, fondants, salads, pastries, and cheeses traveled with beakers of greensap milk, mint tea, and elderberry wine. Naruto began sharing a massive fruitcake with Brother Daydoor, a young door mouse with a gold streak down his fur, and the Foremole, each taking massive slices while washing it down with mint tea. "Sakura! This food is amazing!" He said through a mouth full of cake.

She nodded, her mouth stuffed with a strawberry flan. Beside her, two Dibbuns used two big salad spoons to scoop up a deeper'n'ever pie, their faces covered in blueberry juice.

"Hey Brother! Pass over those scones!"

"Mmff, hold on. Ahh, here you go. Here, pass me a slice of the cake."

"Harr, pass me some more of the Hotroot pepper. I'll spice up this soup for you. It'll put the sparkle in yer eye, missie!"

"Thanks Skipper. Oooooohhh! Tooo hot! Water!" The burley otter laughed uproariously, along with a few others as the vole maid quickly gulped down a big glass of water and quickly refilled it to quench the burning feeling in her mouth.

The meal continued on until one of the Dibbuns, the haremaid came running up to Memnon and pulled on his smock. "Mem! Mem! Der's a few creatures at the door!"

The badger nodded. "Now you get back to your seat, Sky." As the babe went back to her meal, the badger stood up and excused himself, heading for the door. He opened the wood door to Rai'guy, holding the otterpup with Rock Lee and Neji leaning on the warm stones. "May I help you?"

"Good evening, sir. We're lost and we found this pup after rescuing her from a band of foxes. We could have some help on knowing where we are." The Renagade smiled, the otter waving at the large badger

"So you're lost, too? We have two others here who have also lost their way. We're in the middle of a meal, so come in and get something to eat." The badger stepped aside, keeping an eye on the odd jackal as he set the now excited otter on the ground and let her run in before them.

"Thank you, sir." The three walked in under the eyes of the badger, who noted their strange clothing like Naruto and Sakura's, then followed them back to the Great Hall. Naruto was in the middle of his third piece of cake when Neji and Lee walked in and he looked up and waved, swallowing the food in his mouth. "Neji! Bushy-brows!"

Sakura stood up and waved also, glad to see friends. "Lee! Neji! How did you get here?"

Lee smiled and waved back, while Neji nodded. "Sakura! Naruto! It's good to see you two again."

Rai'guy stayed to the side and let the friends take their seats as he sat next to the ottercub. "So, do you have a name, miss? Where's your family? Do you have a home?" His words fell on deaf ears as the little lady began piling her plate with food and began eating like there was a famine in the near future. He sighed and leaned on the table "I'll ask later. All I wanted is get to Konoha, not get caught up in another adventure."


End file.
